Xinjiang, China: Heaven's Lake

Xinjiang, China: Heaven's Lake

by Armando Ortiz

          The screech of the hawk woke me up. It was the first time I’d heard a sound like that. I stepped out of the yurt and was able to see the hawk gliding over the lake. That small body of water, resembling a mirror, reflected the hawk‘s glide. It looked as if a giant fish was inside the water freely swimming. Both the bird of prey and its reflection were moving at a synchronized pace. The morning was clear, and the air crisp, but a bit chilly to the body. At the distance I could hear the sounds of yak and sheep mingling and disappearing into the pine forest. At the time I didn’t think of my good fortune for being there, but now its like a dream.

           The hawk continued to screech, and naturally the water kept replicating its movements. I walked up a few feet up the canyon. After a slight turn I found the two planks that stood above the hole. I took a piss, and peered inside the pit. Steam was coming off my piss. On my way back to the yurt where I slept that night I passed other yurts that also had traveling visitors from other parts of China and other parts of the world. The hawk kept making circles over the lake, gliding and gliding. The surface of the contained water veiled a serene calmness to the morning. Inside was dark and majestic. I couldn’t quite tell what was more blue the sky or that natural dam.

          Memories, that is what flashed past me as I looked outside the balcony a few years after visiting that place. The weather was cool outside and the cityscape of L.A. was sharp and clear, like it always is after an Autumn rain. Cars passing bye, humming motors and honking horns can be heard. The neighbor’s television blasting the football game through the speakers. I reflected on the past and thought that it all seemed like a dream. Maybe I had been part of an ancient tribe and actually lived beside the lake.